1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the fields of hunting and trapping, and more particularly to a humane animal trap that does not result in injury to either a lure animal placed within the trap, or to the captured animal when trapped.
2. Description of the Related Art
The hunting and trapping of various wild and feral animals has been known since the earliest of times. In situations where the animal is to be destroyed, e.g., hunting for food or trapping for the pelt or fur of the animal, little consideration is generally given to injury to the animal. However, it is generally agreed that it is not desirable to have the animal suffer unduly, and in fact, it is generally desirable not to damage the animal any more than necessary, as such damage and injury lowers the value of the animal for its pelt or hide and possibly its food value as well.
However, there are situations in which it is absolutely essential that the animal not be harmed during capture. Examples of such are when capturing an animal for scientific research or study, or when capturing an animal for display in a zoo. In such situations it may be acceptable to render the animal unconscious by means of a tranquilizer gun and dart, but the drugs used may affect the behavior of the animal, even after recovery, and/or some portion of the drugs may linger in the animal's system for some time after. While this may be acceptable in the case of animals being captured for a zoo, it may not be acceptable for an animal being captured for scientific research or study. Moreover, even where traps are used to capture animals, it is nearly universal that different traps must be used to capture birds as opposed to land animals. This, of course, increases the cost and complexity of such trapping operations.
In many cases it is necessary to lure the animal into the trap. While this may be accomplished in many different ways, e.g., an audio recording of a sound or sounds that attract the animal, scents to attract the animal, etc., one of the most effective ways to attract a predator into a trap is to secure live bait or a lure animal in the trap. In many traps, if not most such traps, this results in the death of the lure animal after the predator has been lured into the trap and captured. This is clearly not a desirable outcome for those who seek the humane treatment of the animals involved.
Thus, a humane animal trap solving the aforementioned problems is desired.